Citation:
Subject 2.01: How do I find the area of a polygon?
The signed area can be computed in linear time by a simple sum.
The key formula is this:
If the coordinates of vertex v_i are x_i and y_i, twice the signed area of a polygon is given by
2 A( P ) = sum_{i=0}^{n-1} (x_i y_{i+1} - y_i x_{i+1}).
Here n is the number of vertices of the polygon.
References: [O' Rourke] pp. 18-27; [Gems II] pp. 5-6: "The Area of a Simple Polygon", Jon Rokne.
To find the area of a planar polygon not in the x-y plane, use:
2 A(P) = abs(N . (sum_{i=0}^{n-1} (v_i x v_{i+1})))
where N is a unit vector normal to the plane. The `.' represents the dot product operator, the `x' represents the cross product operator, and abs() is the absolute value function.
[Gems II] pp. 170-171:
"Area of Planar Polygons and Volume of Polyhedra", Ronald N. Goldman.